Hoosiers get ready for No. 1 Duke

Make no mistake, the Hoosiers know what they are up against Thursday night when they face No. 1 Duke in the South Regional semifinals at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Ky. They will be playing the best team in their region and the Tournament and probably the nation. \nAnd after Blue Devils' guard Jason Williams was named the Naismith Player of the Year Monday, IU will be facing the best player in the nation on the best team.\nHaving said all that, the No. 5 seeded Hoosiers still think they belong where they are, and they aren't afraid to say so.\n"We're probably going to be picked again to lose. We turn that into a positive feeling," Dane Fife said. "Nobody really expects us to win, so what do we have to lose? We feel like we have a ton of business being in this basketball game on Thursday. \n"We'll be nervous, but we'll be ready. We're nervous for every game."\nAlmost every bracket in the nation has Duke (31-3) penciled into the Final Four in Atlanta. Those same brackets probably had the Blue Devils matching up with USC Thursday in Lexington, but the Trojans lost in the first round and the Hoosiers (22-11) survived UNC-Wilmington Saturday night in Sacramento.\nIU is impressed with the Blue Devils, but the Hoosiers aren't just going to take a blowout loss and go home.\n"They're an awfully good team," Kyle Hornsby said. "I look at it as a challenge. We're not going to back down. I believe we have a chance."\nAfter tearing through Winthrop in the first round, Duke received a stiff test from Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish held an eight point lead late in the second half and the game was tied in the final two minutes, but the Blue Devils finished strong at the free throw line to win, 84-77, in Greenville, S.C.\nThe Hoosiers beat the Fighting Irish at Assembly Hall Dec. 4, 76-75. Notre Dame showed that Duke might not be invincible, but that could have its downside for the next team the Blue Devils face.\n"(Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski) is going to have them even more ready knowing they almost lost in the second round," Tom Coverdale said. "They're going to be really hungry."\nMost people might not have expected the Hoosiers to be here, and that is alright with IU. Almost all people had Duke in this game, and they have the Blue Devils going a lot further.\nThe Hoosiers expected both perceptions, but they are right where they thought they would be. This game is not a surprise.\n"I think we expected to play Duke when the tournament seedings were drawn," Fife said. "Everybody has to pick against (us) because of how we've choked recently. I know the guys will be excited."\nIn a press conference Monday, Krzyzewski said he was impressed with the Hoosiers' team defense and expects a tough game.\n"Indiana can beat us, that is the way I approach every game," he said. "Everybody has a different opponent, and it is not about rankings but what that team is accepting. I have seen more teams in this tournament that are not accepting of losing."\nThe Hoosiers aren't about to accept a loss before the game has even begun.\n"I wanted to come out and play this team," Jared Jeffries said. "I feel that if you want to be the best you got to play the best."\nA new Newton\nDavis has been very pleased with the play of Jeff Newton since the middle of the season. Before the win at Penn State Jan. 23, Davis challenged Newton to forget about points and just play with energy. Newton has done just that.\n"He's playing with a lot of energy. He's improved his work habits over the past month and a half," Davis said. "He's the type of player that he's a quiet kid so you tend to overlook him. I don't think Utah had an answer for him."\nDavis can only wonder where the Hoosiers would be if Newton had played so well all year. Davis thinks he will find out next year.\n"I think next year he's going to be one of the best players in the Big Ten," Davis said. "He's going to stay in Bloomington this summer, and he's ready to be a good basketball player."\nDefense, defense, defense\nIf IU wants to win Thursday, the Hoosiers know they have to play well defensively. And that doesn't mean just Fife, the Big Ten's co-defensive player of the year. Nearly every player for Duke has immense offensive ability.\n"We have to defend them really well," Coverdale said. "All five of (us) have to defend well."\nKrzyzewski had high praise for the Hoosiers' defense, which is holding teams to just 61.8 points per game, their best such number since 1983-1984, when IU held teams to 59.1 points per game.\n"The thing that impresses me the most about Indiana is their defense," Krzyzewski said. "They play solid defense, help one another well and work hard on every exchange, it is hard to score against Indiana. They are the top defensive team in their conference."\nCoverdale injury\nCoverdale did not practice Monday. He was relegated to riding a stationary bike while letting his sore left ankle rest. Coverdale hurt the ankle at the end of the first half against Utah after jumping up to make a pass.